Shared Experiences: The Key to Understanding Digital and Metaverse Discipleship

This article originally appeared on  Leadership Network . 

As COVID restrictions continue to relax, most churches have returned to physical buildings. Did broadcasting church services work for your congregation? You had viewers watching your church services, but who were they? Did you know their names or stories? Or were they just a number on an analytics report? Many churches are glad this digital experiment is over and believe they are better off without an online church.

The idea of churches existing entirely in a digital or metaverse space is still a new concept. However, there is a consistency that could revolutionize digital and physical church ministry. Let’s not forget the ongoing success of existing digital and metaverse churches that want to do something different and are willing to experiment.

This is not rocket science. In the preschool classroom, we observe the value of shared physical experience. From playdough to the playground, shared experiences connect kids. They built strong friendships that could last decades and spread across time zones.

We are also observing that people develop healthy relationships in digital communities. People are utilizing digital communication tools to connect with individuals across the street or around the world. They’re playing video games, meeting in virtual reality worlds, or jumping into Facebook groups or Discord channels to discuss familiar topics. The tools are neutral—the same platforms can just as easily foster healthy relationships as they can unhealthy ones.

Many churches are glad this digital experiment is over and believe they are better off without an online church.

Can digital and metaverse experiences create lasting relationships like physical ones? It may be too soon to tell, but we know that some people can develop relationships through digital means just as others do physically. So, while this idea of digital shared experiences may not be for everyone, it will connect with some.

Some churches struggle to see that an online church service can be an effective digital “shared experience.” The problem is that most online church services are designed as one-way lectures from the stage instead of two-way communication. Therefore, the typical online service becomes a product we consume, not a shared experience. We must create opportunities to interact and position ourselves to listen more than we talk.

In many ways, “affinity” will become the new “vicinity.” Digital churches can connect more easily via hobbies or passions than a physical locality. Barbecue church? Sure. Millennial Filipino creatives church? Why not! Church for Nigerian refugees displaced around the globe? There’s no shortage of good ideas to connect with people via shared experiences online.

Online services can play a part. However, the front door to a digital church is not an online service, or at least not the typical online service broadcast we saw during COVID. Instead, try this:

Also, share what you have experienced with VR and what some other strengths are below or on social media. Make sure you tag Jeff Reed to keep the conversation going. 

Through the Digital Church Network we are helping physical and digital churches better understand the discipleship process, and helping churches and church planters understand this and other decentralized mindset shifts. Joining the DCN is free and be encouraged!